INSTRUCTIONS

Position one rack in the lower third of the oven and a second rack just above it. Set a baking sheet on the bottom rack. Preheat the oven to 425deg; F.

In a medium bowl, combine ¾ cup of the sugar, the cornstarch and the salt. Stir in the cherries, amaretto, lemon juice and cinnamon stick. Set aside.

Set the larger disk of dough on a floured surface and lightly dust the top. Roll it out into a 13-inch round, rotating and dusting with flour to prevent sticking. Press the dough into a 9½-inch glass pie plate, letting the excess dough hang over the edges. Refrigerate.

Roll out the other disk of dough into a 12- inch round. Cut 10 1-inch-wide strips from it.

Transfer the filling to the pie shell and scatter the butter on top. Arrange the dough strips over the filling, forming a lattice. Trim the dough overhang to ¾ inch. Pinch the bottom crust and strips together and fold the overhang under. Crimp the edges to seal. Lightly brush the lattice with the milk and sprinkle the remaining 2 tsp sugar over it.

Bake the pie on the upper rack for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350deg; F and bake about 1 hour longer. Tent with foil if the crust browns too quickly. Let the pie cool on a wire rack about an hour. Serve slices warm with ice cream.

On a visit to the Chatelaine
kitchen, Curtis Stone – father to sons
Hudson, 3, and Emerson, months –
stopped by to chat with HELLO! about putting delicious
food on the table.

Curtis, what motivated you to write Good Food, Good
Life
? I’ve got two young kids and a beautiful wife who
doesn’t love cooking, and I thought I should write my
next book about my life right now. To me, food should
be at the centre of your home, but it also shouldn’t be
too complicated.

Has your family seen the book? My family has definitely
seen it and they love it. We actually shot all of the photos of
Hudson and me together at home, in our garden and in the
kitchen, so he really enjoyed seeing those.

What characterizes a family-friendly dish in your home?
A family-friendly dish doesn’t have to play to any rules. It
should just be a delicious meal. I think it’s important to open
your kids up to different flavours.

Do you take care of the cooking at home? I do the bigger
family meals. Lindsay does a lot of the kids’ cooking. My
wife’s a good cook. I’m a lucky guy.

What do novice cooks need to know? Remember that it
doesn’t matter how brilliant the result is. People will
appreciate the effort, I promise you! – ERICA CUPIDO

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